Tide Pools
by Spring Fever Contest
Summary: Jake and Bells hurl themselves into a whirlwind romance. Neither one of them thinks they are good enough for the other, when one ends the relationship, what will happen? Will they come back together with an old tradition?


Spring Fever One Shot Contest

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Jacob/Bella

Summary: Jake and Bells hurl themselves into a whirlwind romance. Neither one of them thinks they are good enough for the other, when one ends the relationship, what will happen? Will they come back together with an old tradition?

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Twilight Saga, although, I think that Steph M should transfer it to a devoted fan for one minute a day and then we would probably all be rich like her. =)

**Tide Pools **

**Jake POV: **

I met Bella Swan through my best friend Embry, at first he wanted to try and date her, but when he found out that his mom was dating her dad and that more than likely they were going to be step-siblings. Our friend Quil, the stupid ass that he is, let out a crude joke of, "Why go down the road, when you can go down the hall." Embry punched him in the nose and told him not to talk about Bella that way.

The first day that I ever met her, officially, we were all in my garage and she came stumbling in yelling for Embry. "Em, you out here, you mom said you would be, Embry Call!" she called. Her voice was angelic and I was not prepared for her beauty as she stepped inside my garage.

I stood stone silent as she made herself at home on the pull out seat on my garage floor, she smacked her bumble gum, and laid on her stomach, kicking her feet up in the air exposing her Converse covered feet, "Whatcha guys doing?" she asked.

By this time Quil was drooling, like full out drooling down his chin, and I really couldn't move. Embry looked at our faces and let out a sigh, "Um Bella, what are you doing here, not that we don't want to see you it's just…" he paused to see if we regained control, which we hadn't, and then he continued, "Um these are my friends, Jake and Quil."

"I've heard so much about you." She giggled, and when she did it sounded like bells. It was that day I deemed it her nickname. "Um, your mom and Charlie were being all cuddly and gross, so she told me where I could find you and I came looking, is that okay?"

Before Embry could answer, Quil regained control of his mouth and let out a wolf whistle, "Damn girl, you're fine."

I held back a growl that I thought was coming up in my chest, I didn't want that wanna be ladies man anywhere near her.

"You're Quil right," she asked and he nodded a conformation, "Well see Em here, has told me all about you um…what was it he called it? Oh yeah 'cheating dog tendencies' so if you think you are getting anywhere near me, you better think again."

"So Bells, do you know anyone else around here besides Embry, and well us, now." I finally got my brain restarted and joined in on the conversation.

"Um yeah, the Clearwater's, Leah and Seth," she paused and bit her lip, "Did you call me Bells?"

"Oh, um, damn sorry, did you not like it?" I asked.

"No, I did." She gave me a soft smile. After that day we became inseparable, most days Bells was on our pull out seat while we worked on my Rabbit. Spring had just started and I knew exactly where I wanted to take on our first date, I just had to get the balls to ask her.

On a rather sunny day, I asked Embry first if he would mind about me and Bells, and he said he would be happy as long as I didn't break her heart. Quil pouted like a puppy and then they made themselves scarce so I could have a day to myself with her.

"Where's the guys?" Bells asked as she made her way into the garage.

"Busy," I shrugged, "Wanna do something else today?"

"Like what?" she raised an eyebrow at me and damn was that sexy.

"Just go somewhere with me." I suggested. I kinda wanted it to be a surprise. I grabbed her hand and walked her out toward the beach. Once there, we went along a small path I knew and came up at the tide pools.

"They're warmer then the ocean, you can put your feet in if you want." I tried to be nonchalant about it, but I was seriously nervous about bringing her here.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.

"I like you." I admitted.

"I like you too, Jake." She smiled and slipped off her shoes, "You coming?"

I watched her act like a small child, running all throughout the pools and then she splashed water on me. I ran after her and eventually tackled her to the ground, with her pinned, I took my chance and kissed her softly on the mouth.

Hungrily, she laced her hands into my hair and pulled me into her roughly. I couldn't stop kissing her, she wore this strawberry lip gloss and I could taste it on my own lips.

After our first date Bells and I were glued at the hip. It was hard not to fall in love with her so easily. She was sarcastic and witty, she always chewed her gum and smacked it, she loved to wear her Converses and was honest to God beautiful.

Bella had her doubts about my feelings and she always made them known. I suspected someone said something to her about us, and that's when the fear started. We'd been together close to nine months when Bells randomly brought up the conversation.

"You know, you're not my first boyfriend." She said casually.

"Really?" I asked, my voice jumping a few levels. We were only sixteen, how many could she have had?

"When I was fourteen, there was a boy in my class. He was that perfect type you know the one that only the dorky girl gets in the movies? Well obviously I missed the movie where the perfect guy and his friends make a bet on how far they can get the freshmen to go and then they break her into a million pieces." Bells finished in a shaky voice.

"Who was it Bells, I'll kick his ass." I assured her, and I was serious.

"Stupid Edward Cullen." She spat his name like it made her sick and I couldn't be happier that she didn't still have feelings for the guy.

"Now Mike Newton won't leave me alone, he follows Cullen's rules, like they are the damn Constitution. I tried to tell them I had a boyfriend and they think I've made you up. They pick on me endlessly." She sighed and let go of my hand that was clasped in hers.

"Well, I'll show up and show them exactly what they are missing out on, and to lay claim on my girl." I smirked at her and she shoved my chest.

We spent the next year together, falling more and more in love. I never once wavered in my love for Bella. I couldn't see my life with anyone else but her. She was beyond the perfect woman. Charlie and Miss Call ended up getting married and Bells moved to the reservation, but stayed at Fork's High because that's where she'd been forever. On our one year anniversary we went to the tide pools again and ended up going back to my house and making love for the first time. It was awkward and scary, and I totally blew my load in two minutes, but after that, we got better, we were stronger, and I think I fell even more in love with her after that.

It was a cold day in January when Bells came knocking on my door, she didn't even come inside and she yelled out, "I think we should break up."

I stumbled back and shook my head, "No way Bells, don't do this."

The guys at her school teased her mercilessly. They wanted her to believe that I was doing the same thing that Cullen did to her. They filled her mind with doubt and played off of her insecurities. The liked to tell her she would never be accepted by a Native like me or my family, because she was a pale-face, (which couldn't be further from the truth because my dad and sister's loved her to death). Even when I showed up at the school to show them I was in fact real, the girls flocked to me, and declared Bells not good enough for me, or told I was out of her league. And then after that they told her I had to have a girl in Forks and a girl on the Rez because that's was 'the type of guy' I was.

"Tell me what happened, and I'll fix it." I promised. I reached to grab her hand but she pulled it away.

"No Jake, it's just…not the time. If we're meant to be, then, we will be, but for now, I'd just rather be alone." She started to cry and turned around to head home. I grabbed her shoulder and stopped her though.

"And you think this will solve it? Are you crazy?" I yelled, "This will make them even worse. Why won't you just transfer down here, you already live here, please Bells, don't do this." I cried. I didn't want us to end, I loved her.

Bells kept walking and never looked back. I got a visit from Embry that night, asking why his sister was crying. He was going to hit me, when he realized that I too, was crying my own tears. I explained to him everything that had been going on the whole time Bells and I had been together and his advice was easy. "Let her have some time, it'll all work out."

On the day that was supposed to be our two year anniversary, I made my way to the tide pools, somehow I thought, if I went there, I would be close to her. She wouldn't come near me and I hardly ever saw her out of the house. It'd been almost four months since I'd seen or spoken to her. Embry kept me up to date on her, and said she cried a lot.

When I walked off the path and arrived at the pools, I was surprised to see someone else there, until I realized who it actually was. "What are you doing here Bells?" I asked.

"It's our…anniversary, we started here, and we came last year, I just wanted to be close to you." She avoided looking directly at me, but I guess she felt as bad as I did.

"That was before Bells, this was my special place, and I shared it with you." I took a step closer to her but not too close.

"Before what?" she turned to actually look at me.

"Before you decided you didn't love me enough." I shrugged trying to act blasé about it.

"I never said that." she argued.

"You didn't have to." I countered.

"I only broke up with you before you would break up with me. I thought it might hurt less if I ended things with you." I watched as a tear fell down her face, from her big brown eyes that I adored.

"And now?" I wanted to know if she truly missed me like I missed her.

"Now, it's the biggest mistake of my l ever made." She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to leave.

I grabbed her hand to stop her and looked directly into her eyes, "Why do you always think I'm going to hurt you?"

"It's inevitable, you'll find someone prettier or funnier and she'll know all about your car shit, and she'll be perfect for you, you'll forget all about me." She tried to pull away again but I wasn't letting her go anytime soon.

"Well, I happen to like that you don't know anything about cars, it makes me feel better. Makes me feel, worthy of being in you presence." I wanted her to know that she may think she wasn't good enough, but so did I.

"Why's that, Jake?" she questioned honestly.

"Because, Bells, you're perfect." I ran my hand along her cheek and argued with myself whether or not to kiss her.

She blushed of course and whispered, "Am not."

"Yes," I leaned in to kiss her this time, "you are." Then I kissed her sweetly, just like I had that first time two years ago.

"You're crazy." Bells accused.

"Crazy about you." I waggled my eyebrows at her suggestively.

"You're serious." She looked at me in surprise and I just nodded my head, "Absolutely."

"I'm sorry Jake," she apologized and at first I thought she was leaving, but then she didn't.

"Me too Bells," I pulled her into a hug and held her tight in fear she would leave again.

"You know, I've always like it here in the spring time." She smiled up at me and I kissed her nose.

After our reconnection, nothing could tear us apart. We graduated and went off to University of Washington. After graduating (again), we moved back to La Push, I proposed, we got married the whole she-bang. Bells worked at the school as a teacher and Embry, Quil and I started our own garage.

Today, was the first day of spring only eight years later, and my Bells had some spring fever. "What are you doing Bells?"

"I'm pack J.J. up, he's big enough to go to the tide pools don't you think?" she smirked and bounced our nearly year old son on her hip.

"What's with you and the tide pools?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh, you know, this guy took me there once." She said in the most serious voice. Then she ran out of the house, J.J. in toe. He giggled the whole way and when I caught up with them I realized, just how lucky these tide pools were.


End file.
